132 TOMATO CULTURE 



tion, lack of sunlight, or extremely hot weather. Such 

 shedding can be partially controlled by pruning away 

 the lateral branches as soon as formed and topping 

 the plants after the third cluster of fruit has set, and 

 by a reduction in the use of nitrogenous fertilizers. 

 A failure to set fruit in the greenhouse is often due to 

 lack of pollination, which must be remedied by hand 

 pollination. 



Cracking of the fruit. — The formation of cracks 

 or fissures in the nearly mature fruit is due to varia- 

 tions in the water supply and other conditions affect- 

 ing growth at this stage. If after the development of 

 the outer portion of the fruit has been checked by 

 drought there follows a period of abundant water 

 supply and rapid growth, the fruit expands more rap- 

 idly than its epidermis and the latter is ruptured. 

 Some varieties of tomatoes are much less subject to 

 this trouble than others and should be given prefer- 

 ence on this account. The grower, so far as lies in 

 his power, should seek to maintain an uninterrupted 

 growth by thorough preparation of the land, by culti- 

 vation or by mulching. If the half-grown fruits are 

 enclosed in paper bags, cracking may be prevented, 

 but at the risk of loss of flavor in the ripened fruit. 



Leaf curl. — The effect of pruning is to stimulate 

 growth and to increase the size of the leaves, the 

 effort of the plant being to maintain a balance between 

 roots and foliage. With rapidly growing plants, espe- 

 cially in the greenhouse and garden where both high 

 manuring and pruning have been practiced, more or 

 less curling and distortion of the leaves may result 

 vvithout developing into serious trouble if the grower 



